New Year, Same Problems
by NeneJPhilly
Summary: It's a new year at Titans Tower but it's the same old problems. Maybe a little music can help? (Love You Universe) (oneshot) (COMPLETE)


Changeling adjusted the derby hat on his head. He'd been wearing it ever since New Year's. "Wazzup!"

Everyone greeted him.

"What's for breakfast?" He sat down.

"French toast & fritatas." Cyborg boomed.

"Yes!"

"How was your slumber, Brother?" Starfire asked.

"It was great." Changeling sipped his tea. "Except I was a bit cold."

"I often get quite cold myself. Tamaran is warm."

"I remember. With your fire air."

She shrugged.

"How'd you sleep?"

"My slumber was magnificent! I had the dream that the clouds were all the candy that is cotton. It was quite delicious."

"Talk about your sweet dreams."

She giggled.

N-E-W

"Hey, 'Wing! Want to play video games?!" Cyborg called out.

"No." Nightwing left.

"He's been acting weird for a week & a half!" Kid Flash complained.

"Yeah, ever since Christmas." Changeling added. "Weren't we going to talk to him about that?"

"Yeah but remember New Years? Star tried to talk to him & he snapped on her. Now she's not talking to him." Cyborg relayed.

"It's been three days! She's still not talking to him?!" Kid Flash was shocked.

"She might not be mad." Changeling supposed. "Technically I haven't heard Rae say two words to me since New Year's & she's not mad at me."

Both turned to look at him.

"Yes, she is." Cyborg said.

"No, she's not." Changeling maintained.

"Dude, yes, she is. No girl goes three days without talking to her man & they're in the same space & she's not pissed at him."

"I thought it was because Bas has started teething?"

"Not even a little bit."

"But I didn't do anything."

"You obviously did." Kid Flash pointed out.

"But that's not fair!" Changeling whined. "I don't remember doing anything! I don't even know when she stopped talking to me. You know how silent she is. Are you sure she's just not being quiet?"

Cyborg put a hand on his shoulder. "Go talk to her."

Changeling mentally swore. "Fine. We'll talk to 'Wing later, I guess."

Cyborg & Kid Flash watched him go. Kid Flash leaned over. "She's going to roast him alive."

Cyborg nodded. "Like a pig on a spit."

N-E-W

Changeling caught up to Raven in their room. She was meditating. He sat on the bed in front of her. "Hey, Rae?"

She ignored him.

"Rae? Rae! Can you hear me?!"

She ignored him still.

He shook her leg & she fell from her levitated position. "Rae! Open your eyes! We need to talk!"

She opened her eyes alright. All four of them. They narrowed.

"Rae, we gotta talk." He huffed.

She got off the bed & walked out.

He sat there, shocked before he scrambled off the bed & followed her. He grabbed her arm & turned her around. "Hey! What's going on with you?"

She ripped her arm away from him & turned to stalk off.

He jumped in front of her. "Rae, wait! Are you not talking to me?"

She folded her arms across her chest & looked at him pointedly.

"So that's a yes." He sighed. "Why not?"

Her mouth worked but she remained silent.

"Don't you think it's unfair of you to be mad at me & not tell me why?"

"Unfair of me?!" She glared at him hotly. "You want to know? You really want to know?"

He nodded but felt like he should have been saying no.

"I thought you grew up but you're still the thoughtless, careless child you've always been!"

"What I do?!"

"You don't remember?!"

"No!"

"Let me refresh your memory! The redhead in the short silver dress that you couldn't stop drooling over! You were all over her all night & then you had the gall to talk about her when we got home! Ring any bells?!"

Changeling's eyes widened. "Rebecca!"

Raven fisted her hands. "I see she's still on your peabrain!"

He frowned. "Nothing's going on with me & Rebecca. I haven't even seen her since New Year's."

"Is that supposed to be reassuring?!"

"Yes! I'm not doing anything! Why are you so jealous?!"

" _I'm_ jealous?!" She placed a hand on her chest before pointing at him. " _You're_ the one who won't let me out of your sight for five minutes!"

"Because you were dressed like a- a-!"

"A what?! It was Starfire's dress!"

He could see that. "You showed too much! I had to make sure those guys kept their distance! I saw Speedy looking!"

"How could you see when you were glued to _Rebecca's_ face?!"

"I was not!"

"You ignored me all night! I had to sit there while you talked about X-Men comics & the new DeadRule movie!"

"It's _Deadpool_ & it's not my fault! You hate comics & superhero movies! _She_ was interested!"

"She was interested in more than bad conversation!"

"You always do this! I can't talk to an attractive girl or you spaz!"

"Attractive?!" She stepped closer.

He leaned back. "You need to let up, Raven! You're always accusing me of something I didn't do!"

"Or what?! You will?! Then go ahead & be free, Changeling! I'm done playing games! We had this talk but apparently you weren't listening!"

"What are you trying to say?!"

"I already said it." She walked back to their room & shut the door.

He was a second too late to keep it from closing so he pushed the button to let him in. The box beeped & the door wouldn't open. "Oh mature, Raven! You locked me out!"

She stayed silent.

He punched in the override code but the box beeped again. He stared at the door in shock. "You changed the passcode?!"

There was nothing.

He banged on the door. "Open the door, Raven! Raven! Open the door! Raven, I'm serious!"

The door remained shut.

He growled & shifted into an ant. He went towards the door & saw something thick & blue was blocking the bottom of the door. He shifted back & poked it with his finger. It was a towel. "Really?!"

He banged on the door & howled.

N-E-W

"Now the both of them are in there working out. The music's loud & Changeling's growling." Kid Flash reported.

Cyborg sighed. "We gotta talk to them."

"I'm not looking forward to it." Kid Flash admitted.

"Me either but we're friends & we got to be there for each other. Even if they're being total wombats."

Kid Flash sighed. "Let's get this over with."

They both traveled to the gym, where their green prankster & vigilant leader were pounding away on punching bags.

Cyborg cut the music off.

Both stopped. "Turn it back on."

"Nope. Not until we talk."

"I don't want to talk." Nightwing adjusted his stance.

Changeling growled.

"Don't pull that crap with me!" Cyborg snapped. "Now what the hell's wrong with you two?!"

Changeling shrugged & continued punching the bag.

"C!"

"Catwoman's pregnant." Nightwing said quietly.

Cyborg, Changeling & Kid Flash gaped at him. "What?!"

"Bruce got Catwoman pregnant."

They were still stuck. "What?!"

"I know." Nightwing flexed his fingers.

"& you're mad because you're secretly in love with her?" Kid Flash was seriously confused.

Nightwing looked at him sharply. "No!"

"Then what's the problem?"

"Bruce is not father material." He said with faux patience. "Bruce isn't fit to raise a fish. Bruce has no business getting anybody pregnant!"

"You act like you're the daddy." Cyborg's lips twitched.

Nightwing gave him a brittle look. "He already messed up three kids. What's he need with a fourth?!"

"Maybe he'll be better?" Kid Flash raised his shoulders.

"What if he's not? Bruce doesn't do change."

"I get that." Changeling & Cyborg said in unison.

"What?" Kid Flash looked to them.

"My dad was not a loose man. He was uptight & anal retentive." Cyborg related. "He wasn't really a father type of man. I'm just getting to the point in my life where I can see it wasn't his fault. It just wasn't him."

"Mento is a great leader. That's what he does & he's good at it." Changeling put in. "But father he is not. He's not good with the human side of superheroing. He doesn't like most people & he's stern when he's being nice."

"So you understand." Nightwing huffed. "Men like that rarely change."

"But if anybody wanted to do something, Batman could." Kid Flash was determined to put a positive spin on this. "He's Batman!"

"As bad as that is…, if he did change, _that'll_ be bad."

"Why?"

"Because he didn't change for them." Cyborg said.

"Yeah." Nightwing muttered.

Kid Flash frowned. "Are you really jealous of a baby?!"

"I'm not jealous! At least not yet. He'd have to change first. & I don't believe he can."

"Then what are you gonna do?"

"What can I do? It's not my kid."

"Talk to Catwoman." Changeling suggested. "Does she know he's Batman? Did she sleep with him as Batman or Bruce?"

"As Bruce. She doesn't know but it's not my place to tell her."

"It's going to be your little brother or sister. She should know."

Nightwing sighed. "I'll give him a couple months. If he hasn't told her, I will."

"Good." Cyborg nodded. He turned to Changeling. "What's your problem?"

Changeling sighed deeply before falling out on the floor. His friends rushed over but he only threw his arm over his face. "We're over!"

"Us?" Kid Flash wrinkled his face in confusion.

"Me & Rae." He said with aching slowness.

Cyborg kicked his foot. "No, you're not."

"Yes, we are. She said so. Right before she locked me out of our room."

"Wait, what did she say exactly?" Nightwing wanted to know.

Changeling sat up & repeated what they said word for word. "I stood outside the room, beating on the door for almost an hour."

"Yikes!" Kid Flash winced.

"You messed up, little buddy." Cyborg shook his head. "You gotta make this right."

"You do." Nightwing sighed. "Just as I do with Starfire."

"Because she's not talking to you?" Changeling asked.

"Yeah, I bit her head off & it wasn't right. So I have to apologize."

"I didn't mean to pay Rebecca so much attention. She was just a really cool girl. I love Rae."

Cyborg took pity on him. He was genuinely contrite. "I hear talk that the girls are doing karaoke in the common room tonight. We've been ordered to stay away but what if you can kill two birds with one stone?"

"What do you mean?"

Cyborg rubbed his hands together like a villain in an action movie. "Let's talk."

N-E-W

"Don't worry, Raven. We'll get your mind off Changeling." Jinx hooked up the karaoke machine.

"It is an infliction many men share." Starfire sulked.

"& we'll get your mind off of 'Wing. Boys are nervewracking." Bumble Bee swore.

"I still can't believe you guys are having all these problems with your boyfriends." Terra giggled. "I think I should call Aqualad & tell him he's the best boyfriend ever."

The four glared at her.

"Sorry." She grinned sheepishly.

"I can't throw no stones." Bumble Bee turned to Raven. "I yelled at Sparky just four days ago."

"I heard." Raven monotoned. "But I don't want to yell anymore. I'm tired."

"But you had a pretty great run though."

Raven frowned.

"I mean of him not messing up. Ever since you got pregnant, he's only had eyes for you."

"I suppose that's over." Raven sighed.

"Don't make any snap judgements." Jinx came back over & sat down on the couch. "I threaten to leave Wally every other day."

"Sparky & I called it quits a couple months ago." Bumble Bee shrugged.

They all looked at her.

"What?"

"When did this happen?!" They yelled.

Bumble Bee huffed. "It was over Cal. About how I'm always telling him no & am the bad cop all the time. It got ugly & I told him it was over."

Each girl had their mouths hanging open.

"You're obviously back together. What happened?" Raven asked.

Bumble Bee blushed. "I can't tell you that."

"It was sexual." Jinx rolled her eyes.

"It was not!"

"Then why won't you tell us?"

"Because it's personal & he might not want everyone to know what he did."

"Was it the romantic?" Starfire asked with hopeful eyes.

Bumble Bee nodded hard. "Very."

Starfire hugged her tightly. "I am so the very proud of Friend Cyborg then."

"Star, I can't breathe."

Starfire released her. "I apologize. May we begin with the performing popular music?"

"Yeah, let me grab the popcorn." Bumble Bee flew into the kitchen & grabbed a couple bowls filled with popcorn. They had an array of snacks for the long night. She flew back. "Let's do this! Who's going first?"

Starfire opened her mouth but the lights went off. "What is going on?"

A light shined on the doors to the common room. It slid open as music seemed to pulse in the room. Nightwing stood there in jeans & a motorcycle jacket. He began singing.

The five girls were gobsmacked. Nightwing never sung!

The music began to swell as the doors opened again. Changeling stood there in jeans & a bomber jacket. He began singing.

This was a little more believable. Changeling sung at the drop of a hat.

They began to sing together as they walked further into the room, coming towards the couch. They came around & each took their girlfriend's hands.

Changeling got down on his knees as he sung the bridge.

Both pulled their girlfriends up as they sung the chorus again. The music tapered off then faded.

"What?!" Jinx was stuck.

Bumble Bee elbowed her. "Shhh!"

"Starfire, _Kori_ , I am so sorry for snapping at you. You were only trying to help & I acted like a jerk. I apologize wholeheartedly & I promise to never take my anger out on you again." Nightwing vowed.

Starfire wrapped her arms around his neck & squeezed.

He fell against her. "Can't breathe! Can't breathe!"

She loosened her grip but still hugged him. "I forgive you, Boyfriend Dick."

"Thank you." He kissed her gently.

Changeling wrapped his arms around the still shocked Raven. "I am a heel. A complete tool. You are the only woman I see. The only woman I want. The only woman I can't live without. I'm so sorry for ignoring you at the party & for quite frankly disrespecting you. I promised to do better & I slipped up but I will do better. Even if I have to never talk to another woman outside this tower.

I love you & only you. & I'm going to show you every single day you let me. So will you? Let me love you? I will never let you down again." He swore.

Raven stared at his earnest expression. "You better not."

He whooped & dipped her to lay a long, sensual kiss on her.

Fireworks went off.

Jinx, Terra & Bumble Bee clapped loudly.

"Where did you guys get the idea to sing to them?" Terra asked.

"Cyborg." Changeling pointed to the doors, where Cyborg & Kid Flash were peeking in.

Bumble Bee smirked. " _That's_ how he apologized."

 _ **The song Nightwing & Changeling sang was Incomplete by the Backstreet Boys.**_


End file.
